Unaware as Levees Fell, Officials Expressed Relief  —  WASHINGTON, March 1 — A newly released transcript of a government videoconference shows that hours after Hurricane Katrina made landfall, federal and state officials did not know that the levees in New Orleans were failing …

High Court Tackles Political Boundry Case  —  WASHINGTON - A key Supreme Court justice said Wednesday that Texas Republicans appeared to hurt minority voters when they redrew congressional boundaries that helped the GOP entrench its power in Congress.  —  But despite Justice Anthony M …

Doubts Back Home Fuel G.O.P. Worries Over Ports Deal  —  WASHINGTON, March 1 — Senator Jon Kyl, a staunch supporter of President Bush who faces a potentially difficult re-election fight this year, is hearing a lot from constituents in Arizona about the plan to allow a Dubai company to operate shipping terminals at Eastern ports.

India, U.S. reach landmark nuclear deal  —  Leaders agree on civilian nuclear cooperation  —  President Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh discuss the nuclear agreement just announced between their two countries during a pres conference in New Delhi on Thursday.

Rhetoric of Unreality  —  When late in the spring of 1940 people of southeastern England flocked across the Channel in their pleasure craft and fishing boats to evacuate soldiers trapped on Dunkirk beaches, euphoria swept Britain.  So Prime Minister Winston Churchill sternly told the nation …

Black Flight  —  The exodus to charter schools.  —  MINNEAPOLIS—Something momentous is happening here in the home of prairie populism: black flight.  African-American families from the poorest neighborhoods are rapidly abandoning the district public schools, going to charter schools …

U.S. Is Reducing Safety Penalties for Mine Flaws  —  CRAIGSVILLE, W.Va. — In its drive to foster a more cooperative relationship with mining companies, the Bush administration has decreased major fines for safety violations since 2001, and in nearly half the cases, it has not collected the fines …

The Best Blogging Newspapers in the U.S.*  —  "Who seems to really know what they're doing...?"  —  That was the starter question for the Blue Plate Special team: fifteen undergraduates in journalism at NYU, two graduate students, one professor.  (A.k.a. "the Specials" or "Blue Plates.")

Saudi Group Alleges Wiretapping by U.S.  —  Defunct Charity's Suit Details Eavesdropping  —  Documents cited in federal court by a defunct Islamic charity may provide the first detailed evidence of U.S. residents being spied upon by President Bush's secret eavesdropping program …

Senate OKs Limiting Patriot Act Powers  —  WASHINGTON - The Senate on Wednesday cleared the path for renewing the USA Patriot Act, swatting aside objections while adding new protections for people targeted by government investigations.  —  The overwhelming votes virtually assured that Congress …

U.S. Reviewing 2nd Dubai Firm  —  The Bush administration, stung by the public outcry over the Dubai port deal, has launched a national security investigation of another Dubai-owned company set to take over plants in Georgia and Connecticut that make precision components used in engines for military aircraft and tanks.

Telling the Truth About the War on Drugs  —  As anchorman of the CBS Evening News, I signed off my nightly broadcasts for nearly two decades with a simple statement: "And that's the way it is."  —  To me, that encapsulates the newsman's highest ideal: to report the facts as he sees them …

What's wrong with this picture?  —  Some observations from Tim Blair: … Commentary  —  I think the real reason for the reluctance among Anglospheric publications to print the Danish cartoons was less timidity than the fear of tacitly repudiating the underlying assumption of the President Bush's War …

Prisons Often Shackle Pregnant Inmates in Labor  —  Shawanna Nelson, a prisoner at the McPherson Unit in Newport, Ark., had been in labor for more than 12 hours when she arrived at Newport Hospital on Sept. 20, 2003.  Ms. Nelson, whose legs were shackled together and who had been given nothing stronger …

S.F. supervisors ask lawmakers to impeach Bush  —  San Francisco's supervisors jumped into national politics Tuesday, passing a resolution asking the city's Democratic congressional delegation to seek the impeachment of President Bush for failing to perform his duties by leading the country into war in Iraq …

OBAMA'S ENERGY PLAN....Knight Ridder reports that Barack Obama has proposed a deal with the auto industry: … That's a little cryptic, though.  What exactly does "more fuel-efficient cars" mean?  —  A quick hop over to Obama's website provides a transcript of his speech …

Citibank Offering Illegal Aliens Mortgages With Below Market Interest Rates, Down Payment Assistance And No Mortgage Insurance Requirements  —  Citibank has been offering illegal aliens mortgages by using Taxpayer ID numbers instead of Social Security numbers to bypass the fact that these people are illegal aliens.